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Note:This page contains AI-generated content for informational and entertainment purposes only. It may contain inaccuracies. Raw event data is from USGS and EMSC. All statistics, lists, and derived information are generated by this site. Full disclaimerFound an error?
Location:
0km SE of Niland, CA
Period:
19 Sep 2005 09:28:28 - 21 Sep 2005 21:07:40 (2 days 11 hours 39 minutes)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
Salton Buttes(7km), Prieto, Cerro(91km)
Earthquakes:
50
98 swarms found nearby.
2000
VS20000512.1(10.0km)
11 May
2 days 10 hours
52 earthquakes
2001
S20011113.1(18.7km)
13 Nov
23 hours
99 earthquakes
2002
24 Feb
1 day 2 hours
31 earthquakes
2003
13 Apr
1 day 18 hours
32 earthquakes
S20030524.1(28.2km)
23 May
1 day 22 hours
161 earthquakes
20 Sep
1 day 8 hours
31 earthquakes
2004
15 Mar
2 days 20 hours
64 earthquakes
2005
29 Aug
10 hours
24 earthquakes
31 Aug
11 days 21 hours
953 earthquakes
2008
15 Mar
5 days 22 hours
111 earthquakes
S20080527.1(14.8km)
27 May
9 hours
47 earthquakes
S20080602.1(16.4km)
2 Jun
2 days 13 hours
145 earthquakes
29 Sep
1 day 4 hours
37 earthquakes
2009
S20090321.1(19.5km)
21 Mar
2 days 3 hours
50 earthquakes
S20090324.1(20.3km)
24 Mar
6 days 21 hours
410 earthquakes
VS20090417.1(12.2km)
17 Apr
1 day 13 hours
29 earthquakes
S20090614.1(11.4km)
13 Jun
1 day 5 hours
53 earthquakes
VS20090801.1(10.4km)
1 Aug
3 days 10 hours
106 earthquakes
S20090924.1(22.7km)
24 Sep
19 hours
28 earthquakes
2 Oct
2 days 23 hours
43 earthquakes
S20091101.1(21.0km)
1 Nov
12 hours
26 earthquakes
7 Nov
5 hours
36 earthquakes
17 Nov
1 day 19 hours
142 earthquakes
23 Nov
4 days 3 hours
69 earthquakes
2010
10 Jan
10 days 2 hours
233 earthquakes
VS20100123.1(10.2km)
22 Jan
2 days 3 hours
46 earthquakes
21 Feb
1 day 20 hours
28 earthquakes
4 Apr
6 days 21 hours
132 earthquakes
PS20100405.1(113.1km)
4 Apr
1 hours
5 earthquakes
22 Apr
1 day 4 hours
38 earthquakes
5 Aug
1 day 0 hours
26 earthquakes
S20100828.1(14.3km)
28 Aug
1 day 2 hours
32 earthquakes
VS20101112.1(11.8km)
11 Nov
1 day 10 hours
28 earthquakes
S20101213.1(16.1km)
13 Dec
12 hours
49 earthquakes
S20101215.1(22.3km)
15 Dec
1 day 4 hours
101 earthquakes
27 Dec
11 hours
66 earthquakes
S20110101.1(11.1km)
31 Dec
1 day 14 hours
33 earthquakes
2011
7 Jan
2 days 20 hours
94 earthquakes
VS20110328.1(10.0km)
27 Mar
1 day 18 hours
42 earthquakes
2 Apr
1 day 12 hours
34 earthquakes
S20110701.1(11.3km)
1 Jul
1 day 2 hours
36 earthquakes
2012
8 Feb
2 days 0 hours
29 earthquakes
19 Feb
1 day 18 hours
86 earthquakes
26 Feb
2 days 1 hours
88 earthquakes
29 Feb
14 hours
34 earthquakes
3 Mar
3 days 11 hours
72 earthquakes
VS20120323.1(16.1km)
22 Mar
2 days 22 hours
73 earthquakes
20 May
2 days 1 hours
33 earthquakes
8 Jun
19 hours
95 earthquakes
S20120826.1(23.7km)
26 Aug
11 days 23 hours
972 earthquakes
S20120910.1(18.0km)
9 Sep
1 day 1 hours
28 earthquakes
24 Sep
1 day 17 hours
51 earthquakes
2013
S20130219.1(11.2km)
18 Feb
4 days 14 hours
57 earthquakes
VS20130404.1(12.9km)
3 Apr
2 days 12 hours
59 earthquakes
S20130429.1(10.9km)
28 Apr
2 days 2 hours
41 earthquakes
16 May
5 days 21 hours
135 earthquakes
VS20130603.1(15.7km)
3 Jun
3 days 15 hours
134 earthquakes
S20130820.1(10.6km)
19 Aug
3 days 21 hours
47 earthquakes
27 Aug
1 day 17 hours
37 earthquakes
8 Oct
1 day 23 hours
83 earthquakes
S20131014.1(10.0km)
13 Oct
2 days 10 hours
83 earthquakes
16 Oct
1 day 21 hours
50 earthquakes
31 Oct
16 hours
31 earthquakes
S20131127.1(10.4km)
27 Nov
1 day 7 hours
52 earthquakes
21 Dec
1 day 8 hours
65 earthquakes
2014
28 Mar
1 day 16 hours
34 earthquakes
2015
VS20150521.1(11.4km)
21 May
1 day 13 hours
38 earthquakes
2016
VS20160729.1(10.3km)
29 Jul
1 day 9 hours
30 earthquakes
S20160926.1(14.4km)
26 Sep
6 days 7 hours
322 earthquakes
31 Oct
23 hours
39 earthquakes
S20161231.1(27.2km)
31 Dec
3 days 4 hours
317 earthquakes
2018
S20180618.1(11.9km)
17 Jun
1 day 9 hours
26 earthquakes
2019
S20190118.1(10.0km)
17 Jan
4 days 13 hours
71 earthquakes
2020
VS20200506.1(10.0km)
5 May
1 day 14 hours
56 earthquakes
S20200810.1(11.4km)
9 Aug
4 days 12 hours
319 earthquakes
S20200930.1(13.4km)
30 Sep
9 days 1 hours
1724 earthquakes
22 Oct
2 days 5 hours
53 earthquakes
VS20201113.1(13.6km)
13 Nov
23 hours
38 earthquakes
26 Nov
1 day 10 hours
27 earthquakes
2021
4 Jan
21 hours
43 earthquakes
10 Jan
6 hours
26 earthquakes
VS20210201.1(10.1km)
31 Jan
23 hours
38 earthquakes
8 Feb
3 days 9 hours
117 earthquakes
S20210319.1(10.2km)
18 Mar
14 hours
27 earthquakes
4 Jun
19 days 4 hours
2347 earthquakes
S20210611.1(28.1km)
11 Jun
4 hours
26 earthquakes
23 Aug
2 days 11 hours
48 earthquakes
2022
20 Sep
23 hours
39 earthquakes
2023
VS20230430.1(10.9km)
30 Apr
17 hours
68 earthquakes
VS20231003.1(11.1km)
3 Oct
1 day 11 hours
29 earthquakes
9 Dec
18 hours
34 earthquakes
2024
VS20240211.1(14.9km)
10 Feb
1 day 21 hours
26 earthquakes
S20240214.3(13.9km)
14 Feb
1 day 12 hours
31 earthquakes
20 Dec
12 hours
48 earthquakes
2025
VS20250410.1(10.1km)
10 Apr
1 day 9 hours
64 earthquakes
S20250422.1(13.4km)
22 Apr
10 hours
28 earthquakes
VS20250711.1(10.3km)
11 Jul
1 day 18 hours
132 earthquakes
2026
S20260510.1(27.0km)
9 May
4 days 16 hours
477 earthquakes
AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm S20050920.1: Analysis of Earthquake Activity Near Niland, California

Seismic swarm S20050920.1 occurred in the Imperial Valley region of southern California, centered 0 km southeast of Niland. The sequence began at 09:28 on 19 September 2005 and concluded at 21:07 on 21 September 2005, spanning 59 hours and 39 minutes. During this period, 50 earthquakes were recorded, providing a clear example of clustered seismic activity typical of the area.

The events displayed magnitudes ranging from 0.8 to 3.8, with the majority falling between 1.0 and 2.5. Depths varied from 0 km to 10 km, indicating shallow crustal involvement consistent with regional fault mechanics. Notable peaks included a magnitude 3.8 event at 23:00 on 19 September at 9 km depth, a magnitude 3.1 at 06:02 on 20 September at 10 km, and a magnitude 3.0 at 20:09 on 19 September at 3 km. These larger shocks were interspersed with numerous smaller events, reflecting the swarm's diffuse energy release rather than a single mainshock-aftershock pattern.

Temporal distribution showed heightened activity on 19 September, with 18 events, followed by sustained but slightly reduced rates on 20 September (24 events) and a tapering on 21 September (8 events). Depths remained predominantly in the 2–6 km range, suggesting brittle failure within the upper crust influenced by local geothermal gradients.

Niland lies within the Salton Trough, a tectonically active pull-apart basin formed by the interaction of the San Andreas and Imperial fault systems. This setting produces frequent earthquake swarms driven by right-lateral strike-slip motion and associated extension. The region also hosts significant geothermal fields, where fluid migration can trigger seismicity through pore-pressure changes. Historical records indicate elevated swarm frequency, with nine documented swarms since 1 January 2000. These occurred in 2000 (1 swarm), 2001 (1), 2002 (1), 2003 (3), 2004 (1), and 2005 (2), underscoring persistent tectonic strain accumulation.

Such sequences contribute to ongoing monitoring efforts aimed at understanding fault behavior and assessing potential links to larger events along the plate boundary. The 2005 swarm's characteristics align with prior activity in the Brawley Seismic Zone, where shallow depths and moderate magnitudes are common.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog (historical swarm data verification)
California Geological Survey regional tectonic reports
SeismoSight internal swarm classification records